One Year Vacation - Gadget
by Aiva
Summary: An entry for One Year Vacation contest. Waht would a single Rescue Ranger do while on a year long break from the team and duty. Gadget would look for her family roots. Unfinished...


One year vacation. Gadget.  
  
"Okay boys, since you all agreed to the separate vacations..."  
"I like to point, it was your idea, Gadget. I all the time felt I will loose you to someone else…" Chip inserted.  
"…since you all agreed, I had a year to spent alone, and I had an idea, how to." Gadget cast stern look at the chipmunks, which after a moment broke into smile.  
"I decided at last to find out, why I knew so little about my mother."  
"Gadget luv, if you as much as asked us, we may helped you to do that," Monty said into fatherly voice.  
"Sorry, Monty. I had to do it alone. I felt I need it. More for my personal self-esteem, that for you or any one else."  
"You know, that I talk little about my parents. Well, remembering dad still is painful, but about the mom… I do know only her name… Dad said, she died after I was born. He newer told me much about her, but he always carried her portrait with him."  
"Yes. I saw it too." Monty agreed. "Small portrait of young pretty female mouse. Except that she was your total opposite - with dark hair and grey eyes. If I don't know, I may newer thought you and her being mother and daughter."  
"Yes. Into childhood I had a fantasy that dad had thought her up for me. I found out, he had said truth. But I still wanted to know more."  
Gadget poured some tea for herself and for others, then sat deeper into the chair and started.  
  
"I started with the closest point. The hospital, where I was born and she died, as was writed into my birth certificate…"  
  
Gadget landed the plane on the roof of the human hospital. She descended into the ventilation and after some walking, emerged into the territory that, although was on the building plans, was long forgotten by any of the humans…  
  
"I had little luck. The archives were kept only for the ten years. I was lucky; they hadn't destroyed oldest ones but simply thrown into empty shaft. I digged through the piles of papers and patient histories, till found one concerning me. I didn't found one about my mother… I spent a week here, till one of sisters suggested, that maybe old stall members may know something of importance…"  
  
Gadget and some old mouse into long dress were sitting together and slowly eating butter-cookies with yoghurt.  
"So it was you," old mouse smiled. "Yes, it was a case, I still remember, even after twenty years. They were so happy to have kids. I was too. Until I get the results of the tests."  
Gadget froze.  
"What was wrong?" she whispered.  
"She shouldn't had to have kids… It was killing her. Although into her case it only speed up the process. She used too much on the kids that left nothing for herself."  
"She was ill?"  
"It can't be called normal illness. It more resembled some poison, humans used on us, animals..."  
"Dad newer told me…"  
"He dint knew that… And missis Hackwrench forbade me to tell him anything. We tried our best, but the stress of delivery turned out being too much for her heart…"  
"Heart?" Gadget was intrigued. "My dad too died from the heart attack."  
"Interesting…" mouse said. "May you tell me more?"  
  
Gadget sipped tea and continued her story.  
"I told the old nurse much about my dad and me. She said, that maybe my dad had same illness that my mom, only he was stronger, or maybe he got lesser dosage of poison. In the end it anyway got him… But maybe it was only an idea of old mouse…"  
"But I found out much… I heard about the last days of my mother… About my brothers and sister that I may have had, if not the illness of my mother…"  
"The question remained - who was Sumio Hackwrench? What a person she was, person that left after herself so little and so much?"  
"I returned to my old home at the airport…"  
  
Gadget slowly walked though the 'Zone of Death'. The traps have been deactivated, many of them taken apart completely and used elsewhere. She slowly pulled finger over the huge blade of axe.  
*Rust had appeared… All falls apart…* she thought by herself, wandering through the rooms. *There will be huge repairs being necessary, if someone is to go to live here sometime…*  
Her old room… Kitchen… Large laboratory… They were full of memories…  
Gadget pulled her hands in knuckles so hard, that fingers went white… She fight the urge to cry out loud…  
  
Gadget sighted.   
"I lived into the old home for three weeks. Into that time I checked out all hideouts and secret places, I knew as child, and what dad and I have built here. I hoped to find something that would be missed by me earlier. But… dad didn't write diary…"  
"I too don't write a diary. Well, I tried once, but gave up," Dale smiled. "If all you can write for a few weeks is same things over and over, it gets boring. And you, Chip?"  
Chip shook head.  
Gadget smiled at chipmunks.  
"Well, at the end I found something, that was a bit interesting. This."  
Chip took yellow paper from Gadget's hand and read out loud: "We, signed below, with this mark the agreement to share all our wealth to ensure that our firm 'Sky Knights' is to bloom. Hulio SenSan. Jeremy Braiton. Geegaw Hackwrench. Joseph Bilsadski."  
"Sensan and Geegaw were good friends in past," Monty agreed. "I newer meet him in person, but Gigo told stories about him…"  
"I knew Sensan and I remembered Jeremy from my earliest childhood memories." Gadget continued. "I again went to the library and tore into their archives, now about these three names. The date on paper was two years before my birth. One of them, if still alive, may know something…"  
"Any luck?" Chip asked.  
"No luck at first. Sensan I dropped first. I remembered, that dad led me to his grave once, when I was twelve. He is buried up into the hills. Next to be excluded was Joseph."  
Another paper exchanged hands.  
"Dark day into city. Sixteen deaths into the 'territory war'." Monty read slowly. "Fight caught the patrons at the local animal bar 'South Pacific' yesterday, when gang of rats, armed with glass shards, nails, needles and gilette blades crashed into it and start to fight with their rivals. As told anonymous informants, the other gang was feasting major victory over the said rats. Both sides fought viciously, and battle longed for two hours, taking in not only bar, but also closest shops and living quarters. Some of bystanders were killed…" He skipped rest of story with eyes. "Gigo and Sensan as witnesses?"  
"Yes. And Joseph as 'casualty'. He was rat, same as Sensan."  
"Rest him in peace…" Chip hanged head.  
"Amen."  
"Jeremy, or Jimmy, was last from the four friends. After another week, I had a dream, and after I woke up, I remembered. Dad once had told me, Jimmy married and left for Hawaii with his young wife, when we still were living into LosAngeles at early seventies. I decided to follow this trail…"  
  
RangerWing shoot over the airfield and looped under the belly of huge Boing-707. Gadget with mastery threw mode switch and raised it into the big plane's wheel compartment, before it had finished turning for the runaway. After few manoeuvres, she parked it into one corner, added few more suction darts to hold it stable and prepared for long wait.  
Closing eyes, she again tried to remember. It wasn't much. Dad had newer told, how he meet mom. On her answers he usually answered, that she was an angel, and thus the Lord had wanted her to return to Him so soon…  
If only Sensan hadn't died… He wasn't older that her dad, after all… She remembered him well - the rat with big scar on his bare tail, and his torn ears. So many times he had patiently been target for her childish pranks, before dad had got into the travel over the States. They found out about his death, when stopped for a moment at the LosAngeles on a way to SanFrancisco… Dad had dropped their schedule for a day, and they went to animal cemetery…  
Gadget awakened from her dreams, when into compartment tore in air, pulling at her long hair. Plane was descending. She removed the blocks and dropped out from the compartment, starting her engines only after she was out clear.  
She had two names, and twenty years old memories.  
  
Gadget sighted.  
"I found them both. After ten days, I discovered them. Two mounds into small cemetery up into mountains, close to small Hawaiian village…"  
"Wild cat had killed them two years ago, their daughters told me. They let me check their papers, but Jimmy had into his last will requested to burn all his notes. Two weeks after his burial, the relatives had carried it out…"  
  
"I again was standing into the dead-end…" Gadget sighted. "But that only raised my will to get it all clear. I had found much about the friends of my dad."  
"Some of them may be called 'friends' only by huge stretching of imagination," Monty whispered.  
"Well, what I was to do now? I decided to forget about the worries and enjoy the Hawaiian beaches. That life ended after five days, when I got a new idea. Dad had always claimed, he is in good health, and had mentioned a doctor, that had warned him of his heart. Silvio Mein. Dad didn't took warning seriously. Maybe, if he would…" Gadget sighted. "Anyway, I went to the local hospital still into bathing costume and asked. No little surprise, that they didn't know such a doctor, I didn't expect them to. I flew to the Oahu, and asked at the medical study centre. They didn't know either, and they had records for all the students that finished their school. I went out and sat down. First things, I called herself a fool - why I assumed, that dad consulted doctor at Hawaii at all. He may have done it at any stop of his travels. Then I start think. I dropped idea of checking hospitals at once - that wouldn't accomplice anything into a whole century, which I didn't have anyway. The medicine schools on the other side, were a much rarer, but still too many to check all at the short time. I went down to the beach and start draw a big scheme…"  
  
Gadget pulled marks into wet sand, using long twig.  
"Point one. Dad had weak heart.  
Point two. Mom died from weak heart too. Her illness was called artificially.  
Conclusion: it is highly suspected, that they both had same illness.  
Point three. I'm healthy.   
Conclusion. Whatever happened, happened before I was conceived.  
Point four. Where was dad at the years 1968, 1967 or 1966?"  
"Back to the papers," she sighted.  
  
Gadget sighted.  
"Tea is cold. Would any of you?"  
"I will!" Chip volunteered and braced for the inevitable "I will do better!" from Dale. However, Rednose stayed silent.  
Gadget raised eyebrows for a moment, noticing the change of routine and absence of usual quarrels, but decided no to inquire about the reasons.  
After some time, while Monty and Zipper went to the kitchen to help Chip, but Dale run out to get some crackers, Gadget continued her story.  
"I travelled back to my old house, and again raised dad's papers. There sure wasn't much, but I found few cargo delivery signings. There weren't any from year 1967. The year 1966 were from Philippines, Hawaii and Southeast Asia. I went down to the library, took the charts and wrote down the animal operated airfields, hospitals and medical centres into the region. You can't imagine how many there were. Full notebook. After that, I get fresh pack of batteries for the RangerWing and left on the travels again."  
  
Late autumn, HongKong.  
"…Yes. Yes, cardiology. No? Wide profile medic? Yes, it makes sense now. When? Okay. Yes, I'm writing. Yes… Yes… Thank you very much!"  
Gadget hanged earpiece and jumped in joy. Only three month later and she had get on the trails of elusive Silvia Mein. Her memories had been a bit wrong, she happened to be female, not male. But, what was more important, she was still practising.  
Gadget quickly get dressed for the travel and left hotel through the conventionally placed ventilation hole.  
The way to the given address was long and dull walk through the HongKong sewers. They smelled so bad, as if haven't got cleaned after Japan left city. She did it alone, even that the mouse at hotel had advised her to not go alone, and had even made hint to be ready to accompany her.  
Hospital was into low-level district. Gadget patiently sat at the end of line, and waited for the all patients to be accepted, and only then went in.  
"Now, and what we have here," mouse behind the table looked up. "You aren't local." She declared after short silence.  
"Yes, I'm not. My name's Gadget Hackwrench. Are you Silvia Mein?"  
"Yes, that's my name," old mouse said warily. "How can I help you, miss?"  
Mouse was old. Her fur had been dark grey, but now it was paler, and her hair was white. She pulled off the glasses, cleaned then and put back on.  
After her gesture, Gadget sat down into the chair from empty matches boxes.  
"I am hoping, you may help me. Once, you may have attended my father, Geegaw Hackwrench, and maybe my mother Sumio Nakashito-Hackwrench. It may happened into the late sixties."  
Mouse sighted and again removed glasses, saying no word.  
"You warned him about his weak heart. He died two years ago. Heart failure."  
"You want the case opened?"  
"No!" Gadget exclaimed. "I want to find out the truth! Who was my mom! Why both my parents died from hearth failure! An artificially created hearth failure. Not the some stupid case of twenty years old history, unless..." Gadget went silent.  
"I am sorry, but I cant help you." mouse said.  
"Please! You are my last hope!"  
Mouse slowly dipped her eyes with hand.  
"I can't help you not because I don't wish to. I can't remember."  
Gadget looked at doctor.  
"You ask, why I'm here then, If I cant remember? There aren't as many doctors to practice per free for those who don't have money to pay. If not me, this clinic would be closed six years ago. It will be closed as soon as I will stop coming here."  
"I'm sorry."  
"Don't. You can't understand, how it is - to forget your friends, your youth, and your past… Any patients behind you?"  
"No," Gadget shook head; "I was last one."  
Mouse slowly stood up and changed white robe for the dark-brown jacked.  
"If you have time, my older son lives not far from here. He wants to go to the Singapore, from where his wife is, but he stays 'as long as you have this drive to help the whole world', as he tends to tell me..."  
  
Gadget sighted.  
"Poor Silvia. She had Altzmeyer's disease. What was worse, she was doctor, and knew, what it will mean for her. She was burning her last months helping others."  
  
Gadget and Silvia were sitting on the bed and reading papers from small tin box.  
"Yes… That was 66… or 67… so many patients with burns…I still cant believe, into what surrounding we worked…" Silvie sighted. "So bad, I don't remember much now, only few fragments. It was terrible war."  
"You were into Vietnam?"  
Silvia pulled out another paper, read it.  
"Yes. Kaoljano outskirts. Red Cross mission, from 1963 to 71." She proudly raised up the yellowish photo. Group of young mice was posing against jungle. "We left into one of last planes that took off from local airfield."  
Doors to the room opened, and in peaked two small mice heads.  
"Junjer said, dinner is ready." oldest chirped.   
"My grandsons," Silvia smiled.  
  
"For a week I visited Silvia. She liked to have chance to try remember these years. We talked much, but her memory was with so many holes. Sometimes she started to tell me same stories that get told yesterday.  
After week, I decided to try something else.   
I left Silvia the ranger headquarters address, if she did remember something, and said goodbye.  
Only one place, where dad and she may have meet, was that Red Cross mission in Kaoljano. I went to the local branch of Red Cross. Nothing. It was understandable - they evacuated people, not archives. I had to go myself…"  
  
Gadget sat and pondered into her hotel room. The travel to Vietnam will be necessary. Dad had been here; she was near certain about it. All the facts pointed at that. The question was what happened? If only Silvia hadn't lost memory…  
But before going, she decided to check all other things…  
  
"I spend two months. Travelled over many airfields into Malaysia and Philippines. Went to archives. Talked with pilots. I found one old mouse mechanic, who did remember Geegaw from these years. He said, that dad had regularly cursed over the region, till on the mid 66 suddenly disappeared. The date on the paper of the four was mid 68, a bit later date was on his marriage papers. It left two years unaccounted."  
Gadget sighted.  
"I didn't want to remember my trip to Vietnam. It was dangerous to get over the border, it was hard to find that old mission, already overran by jungle. Of course, I did found nothing. Rotten paper into the catalogue drawers… Rusty bed carcasses… And what I hoped for? I sighted and turned around, back to home… My new home…"  
  
Gadget slowly opened door and stepped into treehouse. It was now half a year and silently she had hoped, that maybe others had returned too to meet Christmas into their group…  
"Anybody home?" she called quietly. There was no answer, and, to be honest, she didn't expect any. Yet…  
Rooms were untouched, and covered with slight dust. Gadget slowly pulled finger over the dinner table - it left well-seen trail.  
*Again alone* she sighted. *No, Gadget… This time it's different… You made it so herself… You herself sent away your friends. Sent away for the whole year…*  
  
Two hours later, she was sitting behind the table, aroma of coffee flying in air, and sorting through pile of incoming correspondence.  
"Merry Christmas…" message went to one pile.  
"My wife and I am eternally thankful to You…" another pile.  
"Greetings and Happy New Year from China! Remember us? We…" first pile again.  
"Don't you be interested to order…" this one joined the colleagues into trashcan.  
"Miss Gadget…"  
Gadget looked at the message more carefully.  
"… With regret I had to notice you, that my mother, Silvia Mein, died at the November 25…"  
Gadget sniffed. She had liked old lady.  
"…She asked me to write to you. Shortly before the end, her memory returned to her, and she remembered… Or she thought, she remembered, but that's for you to decide…"  
Coffee tassel crashed to ground, when Gadget caught letter in both hands.  
"…She said, that at mid October year 67, into her mission arrived two patients into last stadie of exhaustion from tropical fewer and hunger… They were found by the locals descending Mekong by the boat. Geegaw, and his passenger Sumio. They had spent a year into jungle after being shoot down over the North Vietnam or Laos…"  
Gadget sharply drew in air.  
"... She also said, that Sumio had told she's from Okinawa... I hope, that this will help you. Simon Mein."  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  
  



End file.
